Nearby Words

rebus

[ree-buhs] Example Sentences Origin

re·bus

[ree-buhs]
noun, plural -bus·es.
1.
a representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, etc., that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables: Two gates and a head is a rebus for Gateshead.
2.
a piece of writing containing many such representations.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin rēbus by things (ablative plural of rēs), in phrase nōn verbīs sed rēbus not by words but by things
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Rebus is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Example Sentences
  • Possibly you had a typo in one of the rebus squares and didn't see.
  • It was not so much the selection of natural forms per se but the phonographic rebus principle that drove the use of.
  • OK, they couldn't have made this a rebus on top of everything else, so let's move on.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
rebus (ˈriːbəs)
 
n , pl -buses
1.  a puzzle consisting of pictures representing syllables and words; in such a puzzle the word hear might be represented by H followed by a picture of an ear
2.  a heraldic emblem or device that is a pictorial representation of or pun on the name of the bearer
 
[C17: from French rébus, from the Latin rēbus by things, from res]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rebus
1605, from L. rebus "by means of objects," ablative plural of res "thing, object," perhaps principally from the phrase de rebus quæ geruntur "of things which are going on," in reference to the satirical pieces composed by Picardy clerks at carnivals, subtle satires of current events using pictures
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to suggest words, phrases or things. Or it may be from the representations being non verbis sed rebus "not by words, but by things."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

rebus

representation of a word or syllable by a picture of an object the name of which resembles in sound the represented word or syllable. Several rebuses may be combined-in a single device or successively-to make a phrase or sentence. Literary rebuses use letters, numbers, musical notes, or specially placed words to make sentences. Complex rebuses combine pictures and letters. Rebuses may convey direct meanings, especially to inform or instruct illiterate people; or they may deliberately conceal meanings, to inform only the initiated or to puzzle and amuse.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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